Does science rule in politics, and should it?

Those that grew up watching the television show Bill Nye the Science Guy will recognize the phrase Science Rules” from the theme song (commence all those still reading humming the phrase “Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill” incessantly for the next twenty minutes). However, in this age of populism and blind rhetoric, does science rule the thought of our leaders?

Science is by no means a field in which everyone needs to major. However, it is important that as a society we employ scientific reasoning to making decisions. For example, if a policy fails, we need to look at why it failed and change the appropriate variable to try and correct the failure. Thus it is unfortunate that so few of our leaders have a background in the scientific realm. According to the Federation of American Scientists, there is only one physicist, one chemist, one microbiologist, and eight engineers in Congress. This might seem like a fair amount, but first you must realize that the are are nineteen insurance agents or executives six radio talk show hosts, and 36 veterans of the real estate business. Let  what I am about to write sink in, there are twice as many almond ranch owners in Congress as physicists. Our laws are more influenced by men who have spent most of their lives cultivating the peanut’s stuck up cousin than by someone who has spent their life understanding the fundamental laws of the universe. I am not opposed to almond ranchers or their work; obviously, these people are quite intelligent.

However, as a liberal, I am opposed to several members of Congress and our president-elect not  accepting climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence. Their thinking is dangerous and could lead to consequences for not only you and me, but a much worse world for generations to come. Effects of global warming are diverse and potentially destructive. The intense natural disasters from the last several years can at least partially be attributed to global warming, and these disasters are only  projected to become more intense and more frequent the more passive we are towards global warming. Sea levels have the potential to increase by a substantial rate (7 to 23 inches) and extinctions of various  plants and animals could become more common. The easiest way to combat these effects of climate  change is to… well… (drum roll please) combat climate change. And the only way that we can combat an issue is to acknowledge that it is an issue.

Increased scientific literacy among our law makers is the best  route to recognizing the problem and addressing it. The United States has played too large of a role in  creating climate change to not help and reduce it. For those of you that can vote, I ask you to please take scientific literacy and position on climate change into account when you are next at the ballot, and for the majority of you that can’t vote, I ask you to please remember for the future that science should rule.